ANDREW RUCK, who is originally from Edinburgh, told an inquest into Horatio’s death that the bear at one point had its paws on his shoulders and he was looking straight into its face.

A SCOTS climbing instructor today relived the moment he was attacked by a polar bear which killed a teenager.

Andrew Ruck was mountain leader for the group when Horatio Chapple, 17, was mauled to death on the remote Arctic Ocean Svalbard islands.

And he described how the polar bear targeted him after it attacked trip leader Michael “Spike” Reid.

Andrew, who is originally from Edinburgh, told an inquest into Horatio’s death that the bear at one point had its paws on his shoulders and he was looking straight into its face.

He said: "I woke up straight away and sat bolt upright, I then remember Spike or I opening the tent to see the polar bear there, I do not think it had anyone or anything in its mouth at that stage."

He said that he then saw Mr Reid attempting to fire the rifle at the bear.

Andrew said: “He tried to fire the rifle four times, bullets emptied out, he shouted 'It's not working' and then the bear came over to him and knocked him to the floor.

“After that I exited the tent through the other entrance. I just charged towards the bear, shouted and picked up rocks and threw them at its face.

“I remember the bear then attacked me and knocked me straight to the floor, it's paws were on my shoulder, I remember seeing its face.

“It swiped my face with its claw and my head would have ended up in its mouth at some point.

“The bear left me for some reason but I had very few clear thoughts after that.

“I know I ended up not in the spot where it attacked me and ended up right next to Horatio, I must have been aware someone had been very badly injured and I think I was trying to help.”

Mr Ruck said that a decision had been made to use a tripwire system as an early warning alert that night and added that a bear watch would have had its own risks if it had been used instead.

He also told how he was a late addition to the expedition team but had gained experienced by visiting the area as a YE with BSES in 2002 and underwent further training on arrival in Norway prior to the trip.

Horatio Chapple was on an adventure holiday with the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) when he died in August 2011.

The Eton pupil was sleeping in his tent when the bear went on the rampage, inflicting fatal injuries to his head and upper body.

Four others were hurt before the bear was shot dead at the camp site, where the group, known as Chanzin Fire, had been staying.

Also injured during the incident were 17-year-old Patrick Flinders, from Jersey, and 16-year-old Scott Bennell-Smith, from St Mellion in Cornwall.